The invention is a new and distinct variety of rhododendron plant originated by me in 1952 as a consequence of a breeding program begun in 1943.
The parentage of my new rhododendron is as follows: The seed parent was R. chryseum, Cultivar (unnamed), and the pollen parent was R. xanthostephanum, Cultivar (unnamed).
The object of the cross was to produce a compact dwarf plant with good yellow colored bloom.
These objectives were achieved along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics which are outstanding in the new variety and which distinguish it from its parents as well as from all other varieties of which I am aware.
My new variety is characterized by: compact growth with deep yellow blooms borne in profusion.
It is unlike any other rhododendron known to me. It differs from its seed parent by its taller and more rapid growth, larger leaves, and deep yellow flowers. It resembles its pollen parent only in the color of its bloom.
Asexual reproduction of my variety by cuttings through a series of annual propagations at Oakland and Hayward, Calif. shows that all characteristics of the variety come true to form through succeeding generations.